Recent trends in miniaturization of medical devices, in particular the design and implementation of patient monitors as portable units, have created the need to maximize power conservation in order to reduce the required size of the attached battery. Standalone pulse oximetry systems have generally not attempted to conserve power because either the continuous AC power is available or a sizable battery is attached. Present monitoring needs, however, demand smaller profile, higher computational capacity for advanced algorithmic processing, integration with monitoring capability for other medical parameters, and also portability. In general, therefore, it is desirable to minimize power consumption. Power conservation in the pulse oximetry system, in particular, can yield additional running time for other medical parameter monitors in a multi-parameter patient monitor running on batteries.
In a typical pulse oximetry system, as much as 50% of power is used for driving the light emitting diodes (LEDs). Therefore, minimizing the power consumption of the LEDs enhances the lifetime of a battery after a full charge. In addition, advances in accurate calculation of blood oxygen level and pulse rate by pulse oximetry systems are due to the development of sophisticated algorithms and the integration of high capacity data processors capable of performing these algorithms into pulse oximetry systems. Such high capacity processors can also consume a significant amount of power. Minimizing the power consumption of the data processor can also enhance the lifetime of a battery after a full charge. A system according to invention principles addresses these needs and associated problems.